CAIRO, March 11. /TASS/. Hamas sees the first signs of hunger appearing in Gaza amid the Israeli siege of the Palestinian enclave, said the group’s spokesman, Hazem Qassem.
"The first signs of hunger are being observed among the residents of the Gaza Strip, as Israel has been blocking the delivery of food into the enclave for the past 10 days, even though it was already in short supply," Qassem wrote on Telegram.
The spokesman pleaded with the Arab League to execute the resolution of the group’s emergency summit in Egypt, especially the provisions that called for lifting the Gaza siege.
In mid-January, Israel and Hamas agreed to release the hostages from Gaza and establish a ceasefire in the enclave, in a deal brokered by Egypt, Qatar and the US. The three-phase deal took effect on January 19, and its first phase wrapped up on March 1. All 33 Israeli hostages that were to be freed as part of that phase, including the bodies of those who died in captivity, were brought back home. In exchange, Israel released more than 1,500 Palestinians from its prisons.
On March 2, Israel blocked humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza and ordered closure of all border checkpoints in response to Hamas' refusal to accept US special envoy Steve Witkoff’s plan to continue Gaza ceasefire talks.